Issue Number 1: November 11, 2000

National Consortium on Universal Design for Learning . . .

...a community of educators and other professionals dedicated to developing effective and appropriate school-based (K - 12) models that better serve the educational needs of all students, including those with disabilities. Central to the mission of the National Consortium is research, development, and implementation of the principles of Universal Design for Learning, a learning approach developed by CAST. The emphasis of this monthly newsletter will be on concepts and information relative to Universal Design for Learning.

WELCOME AFFILIATE PARTNERS to the National Consortium on Universal Design for Learning newsletter. We hope you will enjoy receiving this information. Since you are important to the success of this newsletter, we appreciate receiving feedback and comments. Each issue will contain information about Universal Design for Learning and will provide opportunities for sharing ideas with other professionals through the "My CAST" Forum.

• What is Universal Design for Learning? What impact does UDL have on school settings? What is the connection between UDL and the new neuroscience research? Visit http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=7 to learn more about UDL.

• How is UDL connected to learning? What is the difference between Universal Design for Access and Universal Design for Learning? Check out http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=9 for answers to these questions.

• What is the difference between UDL and Assistive Technology? Click on http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=13 to get a snapshot of the differences.

• UDL as conceptualized by CAST, strives to make the curriculum adjustable for students with varied abilities and learning styles rather than forcing students to work with a set curriculum with inflexible materials. The tools and resources provide valuable links to support UDL concepts. Click here for more information: http://www.cast.org/udl/ToolsResources3.cfm

HOT OFF THE PRESS

• "The Future is in the Margins: The Role of Technology and Disability in Educational Reform" by David Rose, Ed.D. and Anne Meyer, Ed.D. CAST This paper was prepared under contract to the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology (Contract 282-98-0029). The opinions presented herein should not be construed to represent the official positions or policies of the US Department of Education, and no endorsement by the Department should be inferred. Be among the first to read about the most recent thinking about UDL: http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=542 .

JOIN A FORUM

• As an Affiliate Partner, you have a My CAST account which will give you an opportunity to share ideas on issues related to UDL with other professionals. We encourage you to join a discussion on "Curriculum and Teacher Practice" located at http://www.cast.org/mycast. At login please enter your email address; the default password is "consortium". Once you login you may change your password by clicking "Update My CAST account".

  At the FORUM page you can subscribe to topics and receive email updates.

• Visit Reading Online (ROL), a peer-reviewed journal of the International Reading Association, edited by Bridget Dalton of CAST, Peabody, Massachusetts, USA, and Dana L. Grisham of San Diego State University, California, USA. It is considered a leading online resource for the literacy-education community, offering articles, discussions, information about applying technology to educational communities, and more. http://www.readingonline.org/default.asp

"On the Road" with CAST

Members of the CAST staff present at many conferences throughout the year. If CAST is in your area you might like to stop in at one of the presentations.

• Conference: New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education (NYST & TE)
  Location: Onondaga County Convention Center at the OnCenter, Syracuse, NY
  URL: http://www.nyscate.org/
  Date: November 19-21
  Come by and visit our booth.
  Meet Nancy Schick, Sales and Marketing Manager
  

• Conference: District 75 Technology Conference
  Location: New York City, NY
  Date: December 11
  Come by and visit our booth.
  Meet Nancy Schick, Sales and Marketing Manager
  

• Conference: US Dept of Education. School Reform: Improving America's Schools
  Location: Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C.
  URL: http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/iasconferences/index.htm Date: December 13-15
  Presenter: David Rose, Co-executive Director
  

• Conference: Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC)
  Location: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida
  URL: http://www.fetc.org/
  Date: January 11-13
  Come by and visit our booth.
  Meet Nancy Schick, Sales and Marketing Manager
  

• Conference: Technology, Reading and Learning Difficulties (TRLD)
  Location: Grand Hyatt San Francisco on Union Square, San Francisco
  URL: http://www.trld.com
  Date: Thursday, January 25, 3:30 - 5:30
  Presentation Title: Textbooks Today, Web Tomorrow
  Presenter: Sheela Sethuraman, Senior Instructional Technology Designer
  
  Date: Saturday, January 27, 8:00 - 11:00
  Presentation Title: Web Design for All Learners
  Presenter: Sheela Sethuraman, Senior Instructional Technology Designer
  
  Come by and visit our booth at TRLD.
  Meet Nancy Schick, Sales and Marketing Manager
  

• Conference: Learning Disabilities Association, 38th Annual International Conference
  Location: New York Hilton, New York City
  URL: http://www.ldanatl.org/
  Date: Thursday, February 8, 2001
  Presentation title: "Reaching the Real World Through Technology for Adults with Learning Disabilities"
  Presenters: Dr. Ruth Gottesman - Director, Fisher Landau Center for the Treatment of LD,
  Dr. Mary Kelley - Associate Director, Fisher Landau Center for the Treatment of LD,
  Dr. Brenda Matthis - Sr. Educational Program Developer, CAST
  

• Conference: International Reading Association, 46th Annual Convention, Technology & Literacy Institute
  Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
  URL: http://www.reading.org/2001/
  Date: Sunday, April 29, 9:00-5:00
  Presentation Title: "Techniques and tools for scaffolding online research projects for students, including those with disabilities"
  Presenter: Maya B. Eagleton, PhD - Research Associate/Instructional Designer
  
  Presentation Title: "Engaging the Text: Reciprocal Teaching in a Technology-Supported Environment"
  Presenter: Dr. Bart Pisha, Director of Research
  
  Presentation Title: "Publishing in Reading Online: the Intersection of Literacy and Technology"
  Presenters: Dana Grisham, San Diego University, California,
  Bridget Dalton. Senior Research Scientist
  
  Date: Thursday, May 3 2:00 -3:00
  Presentation Title: "The Strategic Reader: New Textbooks for Today"
  Presenter: Peggy Coyne, Associate Director of Programs and Services
  

Thank you for your interest in CAST and our work.

Grace J. Meo
Director of Programs and Services
gmeo@CAST.org

CONTENTS COPYRIGHT 2000 CAST. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.